International Training and Assistance

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) provides a wide array of short-term and long-term technical training and assistance to host nations Customs and Border security agencies. Based on CBP’s expertise as the front-line border security agency for the United States, these programs are designed to build the capacity of foreign law enforcement agencies to implement more effective customs operations, border policing, and immigration inspections.

On average, CBP coordinates and presents over one hundred training programs to thousands of foreign participants each year. Training and assistance programs target the full range of border control and operations, including: weapons of mass effect (WME) training, anti-narcotics, port security, integrity, and commercial operations. The majority of these programs take place outside of the United States, although CBP hosts a limited number of training events at specific U.S. ports of entry so students can observe the manner in which enforcement techniques, inter-agency coordination, and infrastructure combine to produce positive results.

CBP undertakes most of its technical assistance work with funding from the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Department of Defense. In addition to implementing established multi-year initiatives such as the Export Control and related Border Security (EXBS) assistance program, port security advisory projects in several Latin American countries, CBP responds to ad hoc requests for assistance channeled through U.S. Embassies around the world.